April
1, 2012 – Links International Journal of Socialist
Renewal -- Ruling authorities confront the continuing crisis of capitalism
by 1) aiding the very firms that bankrupt the general economy by transferring
workers’ taxes to the capitalist class, 2) decreasing the welfare state,
throwing huge numbers out of jobs and onto the streets and 3) increasing state
repression against those who resist, and by allowing the growth of racist and
fascist civilian groups.

State
repression is used most clearly against the peaceful Arab Spring protesters; the
use of police force in US cities where Occupy Wall Street has taken root; against
the workers’ resistance and the indignados
in Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy, France …; against students struggling for
democracy and against gays in Chile.

In
Denmark, some unionists, traditional left organisations and young anti-racists
remind us how German Nazis and Italian fascists used the race card against Jews
to divide and conquer the world. These groups and individuals see history
repeating itself in much of Europe with anti-Islamism and are determined to
check its growth.

On March 31, some 5000 Danes and a couple hundred like-minded anti-racists from
other Scandinavian countries and England marched in Aarhus (Denmark’s second
largest city) to stop the spread of racist/fascist groupings popping up around
Europe. Some have ties in the United States.
Their march was a counter-demonstration to the first all-Europe rally against
Muslims. The English Defence League (EDL) succeeded, however, in holding a
rally of between 100 and 150 members from 10 countries (15 members from England;
one or two from Italy, France, Bulgaria, Poland; one or two handfuls from
Norway, Sweden, Finland and Germany; most from Denmark).

Counter-demonstrators
marched under the banner of multicultural societies. They moved spiritedly
through many of the city’s wide and narrow streets. Hip hop and reggae music
accompanied anti-racist chants. About 1000 marchers had travelled from many Danish
cities, including 11 buses from Copenhagen, a four-hour drive.
Police had marked a route far enough away from the racist rally so that we
could not see or hear one another. Police called out more forces than in
decades to prevent clashes. Local city council members, and municipal
institutional leaders accompanied by the mass media, sought to downplay the
multicultural vision by characterising the demonstrations as two “extremist
groups”. City council members even called upon people to stay home and light
candles. And some imams encouraged their congregations to stay clear.

While
most of the activists were students and other young people, there were some
families with children and a good number of older people with backgrounds in struggles
against racism, fascism and war. Some held pro-socialist or pro-communist views.
Union banners were most prominent as the major unions, including the national
coalition of unions represented in Aarhus, endorsed the anti-racist action.

Signs
read: “Crush the system that creates fascism”; “Black and white, unite and fight”;
“United against racism”; “Make love not war”.

Few apparent Muslims were present throughout most of the march. I asked three older
men separately why this was so. One replied that he had been to a mosque where
the imam had warned members not to participate, because police were saying that
if Muslims marched they would see to it that their associations were closed
down. Two others said only that their imam told them to stay away to avoid
being caught up in violence, which would mostly go against them.

At
the end of the march from city hall to a large square, scores of young Muslims
joined in. They walked in strong strides and sent angry glances at police, who
pulled their paddy wagons closer.

During
the two-hour rally, there was lively music and a few speeches. The most well-received
speech was by Martin Smith from England, representing “Unite against Fascism”.

He caused sustained cheering when he said:

I
am proud to be here with you but am sorry that this scum from England has come
to your land. These racists are fascists, make no mistake about it. And they
won’t go away by ignoring them or by lighting candles.

At
their first demonstration in England, this passive attitude prevailed. As their
rally met no opposition, they beat up people whose skin colour they didn’t like,
and declared that when they demonstrated again no opposition would be allowed.
Then many of us woke up.

European
politicians are playing the race card once again. Every time fascists meet
publicly we must be there. No racism in our countries!

Fascistic rally

At
the park designated for the racists, police outnumbered them, as did
curious bystanders. There were 12 paddy wagons blocking the possibility of
anti-racists entering the area. A few, however, did manage to break through. In
all, 89 people (mostly anti-racists) were arrested. Most were soon released. Five
were brought to court the next day on charges of assaulting police with rocks
and bottles.

Many
arrested were ethnic Danes, Swedes and Norwegians. Others have backgrounds from
Arabic lands. They were appalled to hear from the platform that the racists
spoke of themselves as “patriots” and “freedom fighters”, and used the slogans:
“Stop Islamising Europe”, “No Muslims in our country”.

The
March 31, 2012, British Guardian
wrote, “EDL summit in Denmark humiliated by low attendance”. It quoted one
Norwegian racist as saying that the mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik has
“some good points. There are some people who share his thinking if not his
methods.”

Breivik
murdered 77 people, most all young Social Democrats. Yet the Social-Democratic Party
here did not endorse the anti-racist march. The Young Social Democrats came,
however.

The
EDL was started in London in 2009. The BBC reported that Breivik participated
in some demonstrations. The Danish Defence League (DDL) was started in the
summer of 2010 by Gary Hoope, a member of the EDL. The DDL has posted graffiti
and anti-Muhammad cartoons on Muslim mosques. Its leader, Philip Traulsen, was
charged with possession of an illegal weapon, in 2007, when he and other Nazis beat
up anti-racist youths.

Although
the racist gathering was a “humiliation”, there were many counter-demonstrators
who wished that they had not been able to meet at all. They recalled what
happened the first time that EDL attempted to form an all-Europe organisation
in Amsterdam, in 2010. Dutch anti-racists, including AJAX soccer fans,
prevented the 60 racists who came to their city from meeting. They were
forcefully beaten back out of town.